DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] The examples described below focus on a wireless system using a steered beam system to improve capacity; however, the inventive method can be incorporated in any system to increase the number of users that the system can support and to take advantage of increased system capacity.

[0013] As is known in the art, conventional antennas in a wireless system send signals over a broad beam, covering a large number of users 106 over a wide area. Steered beam systems use a more focused, narrow beam to reach an individual user 106 at any given time on a per user basis. Thus, instead of sending data via a broad beam that can be received by many or all of the users in the sector 104, the base station 102 in a steered beam system focuses a unique narrow beam on an individual user 106 when sending data corresponding to that user 106. In other words, the base station 102 forms and transmits beams on a per-user basis.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a representative diagram illustrating multiple users 106 in a sector 104. For clarity, the users 106 are shown in only one sector 104, but each sector 104 can contain any number of users 106. Each user 104 receives a focused narrow beam 108 from the base station 102 to receive data. As shown in FIG. 2, the sector 104 can be divided into two or more subsections. In this example, a center subsection 110 separates left and right subsections 112, 114, but the subsections can have any shape, size and configuration.

[0015] Because the users 106 in the left and right subsections 112, 114 are separated far enough from each other within the sector 104, the individual users 106 in different subsections 112, 114 can use the same Walsh code. In the illustrated example, one user 106 in the left subsection 112 has the same code (i.e., Code 1 in this example) as another user in the right subsection 114. In other words, focusing individual beams on specific users 106, rather than using a broad antenna beam, allows the base station 102 to assign the same Walsh code to users 106 in different subsections 112, 114 because the beams for the users 106 are far enough apart to not interfere with each other.

[0016] If there are two users 106 that are initially located in different subsections 112, 114 but are moving closer together, the users 106 may end up at a distance close enough to cause interference between their respective focused beams 108. Interference between two or more users having the same assigned Walsh code may cause one user 106 to accidentally receive and decode data meant for another user 106. To avoid this, a Walsh code handoff may be conducted for one of the users 106 to change its assigned Walsh code and avoid potential interference between two or more users 106 having the same Walsh code.

[0017] For illustrative purposes only, FIG. 2 illustrates a subsection 110 where none of the users 106 in that subsection 110 can use the same Walsh code as users 106 in the other subsections 112, 114 because the users 106 are too close together. Similarly, if a user 106 moves into a subsection having another user 106 using the same Walsh code, the Walsh code of one of the users 106 should be changed to avoid interference. The specific method of detecting user proximity and determining whether to change the Walsh code of one user can be conducted via any known process.

[0018] Thus, the invention enables codes, such as Walsh codes, to be reused within the same sector 104 provided that the users 106 are far enough apart (e.g., located in different sub-sections 112, 114) that the focused beams 108 to the respective users 106 do not interfere with each other. The invention allows an increased number of users 106 to occupy a given sector without any changes to any wireless standards. Instead, the invention can be implemented by combining the advantages of steered beam systems and reuse of Walsh codes to overcome the limitations on the number of Walsh codes set forth in the wireless standards. The invention can be used in any wireless application, including military applications that use radar or sonar to transmit data, as well as conventional consumer applications.

[0019] While the particular invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. It is understood that although the present invention has been described, various modifications of the illustrative embodiments, as well as additional embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon reference to this description without departing from the spirit of the invention, as recited in the claims appended hereto. Consequently, this method, system and portions thereof and of the described method and system may be implemented in different locations, such as network elements, the wireless unit, the base station, a base station controller, a mobile switching center and/or radar system. Moreover, processing circuitry required to implement and use the described system may be implemented in application specific integrated circuits, software-driven processing circuitry, firmware, programmable logic devices, hardware, discrete components or arrangements of the above components as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art with the benefit of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that these and various other modifications, arrangements and methods can be made to the present invention without strictly following the exemplary applications illustrated and described herein and without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments as fall within the true scope of the invention.